Is Pamela McCoy Returning To ShopHQ?

We can’t claim to know the inside dish but speculation is booming that ex-ShopHQ host and vendor Pamela McCoy is heading back to Minnesota.

McCoy and her hubby Wes were a staple host duo on ShopHQ, which we think was ShopNBC back then, until the couple’s abrupt exit. Pamela came back as a vendor with coats, and then moved on to Jewelry Television with a diamond line. But it fizzled out.

Pamela McCoy

But on McCoy’s Facebook page there is talk of her return to the No. 3 home shopping network.

“(ShopHQ host) Kendy is wearing one of your jackets today and said it is not available but maybe something might be happening soon. Said she could not say more. Why is it still such a secret that you are returning to ShopHQ?” one person posted.

Others chimed in:

“Shop HQ confirmed!!!! YES”

“I used to watch you and Wes on ShopHQ..I then moved and couldn’t get channel now I can and you are gone…I was always wanting one of your fauxfur hooded coats…can you please tell me where I can shop for your clothing? Thank you”

“Yes, please tell us where to find your collection?”

“Very cryptic but your secret is out.”

We ordered one of McCoy’s faux fur coats once and to say we were disappointed would be a huge understatement. Maybe it was part of a bad batch, but it shed all over our carpet when we put it on. We have never seen anything like it.

19 Responses to “Is Pamela McCoy Returning To ShopHQ?”

I always thought she and Wes appeared extremlely artificial and insincere. This is not good news as far as I am concerned. I thought they had plenty of money….I guess there is never enough. I purchased ome of her leather and “fur replicas” the quality was not great. They all went back.

Wow! We can’t be talking about the same Pamela McCoy and her collection! I was an avid customer for years before Pamela and her husband left ShopNBC, and she is the only vendor I know of whose followers are still crying for her return more than five years after she left home shopping. She was the only American allowed to use the coveted French Tissavel faux fur material for a clothing line on shopping television, and her coats of that material were sublime, especially the very highest end of that fabric production which she called Reve (dream in French). I am used to shopping in Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Barneys, etc. which I only mention to make this point: her Tissavel fur replicas were something never seen before or since. No shopping channel in the US has even come close to her fabric and her designs. The same can be said of her lamb leather and suede clothing. If you wanted to spend two or three times as much, you could probably duplicate it, but why bother? You didn’t even have to leave your home. One caveat I need to make: I stopped doing much shopping in the last year or two of their stay on ShopNBC because I retired and no longer needed that kind of clothing. Perhaps the negative comment about Pamela’s quality resulted from changes in the line during that time period, but is definitely not true for the years I was collecting it. I still look in my closet these many years later and marvel at the Persian Lamb, Chinchilla, Beaver and Lynx jackets and coats hanging there. I have never seen anything like them anywhere on live TV or in brick and mortar stores. I bought less of Pamela’s leather items (a matter of taste and need), but the pieces I have are of original design and terrific quality. I have never understood why one of the other shopping channels did not grab her line when she left ShopNBC because you can not find this kind of clothing – at those prices (something I haven’t yet mentioned) – anywhere. And I don’t think that there is any question that they sold very well. In its heyday, ShopNBC was the Neiman Marcus of home shopping. No one matched the high end of their clothing and jewelry. Unfortunately, their new management team decided that the K-Mart model was the better choice. Happily, they are now gone and there are thousands of women out there hoping that Shop will once more resemble its former self. The news that Pamela McCoy is returning will certainly fuel those hopes, We can only hope that she will be allowed to do what she does best and not be forced into a model that doesn’t allow her full artistic reign.

Finally, I don’t know the McCoys and no one I know knows them either. But I was surprised to find the last comment including the opinion that the McCoy’s seemed insincere or artificial. I always had just the opposite opinion. Pam was not a long experienced TV host at the time and there were moments when her patter was not as glib as some others, but I found that refreshing. Other hosts commented that she was the hardest working woman on television, and that seemed to be the case. I salute not only her work ethic, but her resilience and, especially, her persistence in maintaining her commitment to her clothing line and to her customers. Remember, except for a short foray on JTV, she has been off the air for five years. I know of no other shopping hosts who have been able to maintain their presence and their artistic creativity while being out of the public eye for so long, and whose former customers are still clamoring for their return. I’m sure that ShopNBC’s phone lines will crash during the first show of her return. And Pamela will deserve it. Whether or not she has “plenty of money” as the last comment suggested, no one works this hard to maintain a career that they love because there is “never enough”. I thought that quite insulting. It’s obvious that she has worked this hard because she loves it – whether the results are momentarily thick or thin. Welcome back and good luck, Pamela! I’ll be watching!

And I stand by mine. It is too bad that they are “only” sales people, but those of us on the top of the mountain should restrain ourselves from giving in to nastiness and jealousy and try to give credit where credit is due. If it has come to the point where we have to build altars to display respect and appreciation, (and defend against small mindedness) hand me that hammer!

Patricia, I feel compelled to comment that in the last few years of Pamela’s presentations on ShopNBC, she was no longer showing the top range of her fur replicas – the Tissavel coats and jackets that I mentioned in my comments above. I don’t know whether or not the network ceased to order them because they were trying to show less expensive items, but the Tissavel pieces disappeared and no one knew why. They were extraordinary (looked and felt just like the real thing) and somewhat expensive, but look as good today as they did all those years ago. Customers were complaining about their absence but were never told why. I think you may have
come in on the tale end of Pamela’s faux fur merchandise and I’m sorry you didn’t have the opportunity to see them because they were anything but ok. I think you would have liked them as much as you do her leather jackets. Maybe we will get them back again!

Thanks for addressing this, Miss Moss. I’m a big fan of Pamela’s faux furs and own many. In her last year I bought one that was a little off, but the others are gorgeous and have worn beautifully. (By the way, even Lisa Vanderpump of RHBH owns one; I saw it on her Twitter page a couple years ago–she noted it was by Pamela McCoy!) Sorry you had a bad experience; it only takes one to sour on a line. LIke Susan, I really like Pamela. She has a calm, gracious, soft spoken manner that is appealing. I look forward to her return!

I hope she comes back too! I never bought anything but admired much of what she showcased. Thanks Queen Celeste- you always leave the best comments. Even if they aren’t complimentary you still keep it classy.

Nor did I, Patricia. After I saw your comment, I went to the ShopNBC web site to see for myself and I was aghast! After my impassioned defense of Pamela and her former collection, I couldn’t believe my eyes. By the prices and the look of the “fur” alone, we know there is no Tissavel in this collection. I’m not even sure there is any Tiger fur, as Pamela used to call it (it was her second line of faux fur and, while not Tissavel, it was very nice). And faux leather? For those people who prefer not to wear animal products, I am glad there is an alternative. But the vast majority of Pamela’s old clients will be expecting the lovely leathers, especially the lamb, that she was known for. I’m afraid Pamela’s former customers, who have waited so patiently and loyally for her new line, are in for a terrible disappointment. And if “Evine” is trying to show us an example of their new merchandizing by presenting this kind of clothing, I’m afraid that they are going to be in for a terrible disappointment, as well. I’m just so sorry that Pamela chose to destroy her brand in this way. Her market is out there, but she seems unable to find the vehicle that will bring all her beautiful things to those customers.

Did anyone see any of Pamela’s shows on ShopHQ or know how her items were received? After I looked at the line-up on the ShopHQ web site, I was so disappointed that I decided to skip the shows. Granted, the ShopHQ web site has terrible photograph reproduction and everything looks tacky (or maybe they are true pictures of the products?), but, still, everything looked awful, in my opinion, of course. After all the hoopla about her return, including my own, I’m wondering how the items were received. Any opinions?

I wasn’t interested in the furs since I moved south after retiring. Once I saw that it was faux leather I didn’t bother to watch. I went upstairs to the closet where I keep my leather and suede and visited my Pamela McCoy leathers. I’ll have to remember to check the reviews on her new line.